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The Coal River Valley in West Virginia is a community dominated by the Massey Energy Company, who control the coal mining operations that have been the area's economic lifeblood for generations. But when a growing number of illnesses in the region were being attributed to improper disposal of toxic waste from Massey's mining operations, many locals began speaking out against the company and questioning their political and economic ties to local government. Ed Wiley was a former miner who decided he'd had enough when he learned that contamination from Massey's mining projects was making water unsafe to drink at a local elementary school -- a school attended by his granddaughter. Wiley became part of a local campaign to demand accountability from Massey and enforcement of environmental regulation, as well as a new school located a safe distance from the source of the pollution. However, Wiley and his compatriots quickly learned that Massey wasn't about to change their ways without a fight, and not everyone in Coal Valley was eager to take a stand against the company that provided so many jobs in town. Filmmakers Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood chronicle this battle between people, government and corporate interests in the documentary On Coal River, which was an official selection at the 2010 Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival.